


Never Too Busy

by magequisition



Category: Supernatural
Genre: First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Writer!Sam, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-23
Updated: 2013-01-23
Packaged: 2017-11-26 13:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/651046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magequisition/pseuds/magequisition
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam Winchester is having a little trouble with his new novel, and it's really starting to stress him out. Enter Gabriel, his favourite barista at the local Starbucks. Gabriel thinks Sam needs to have a little fun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Too Busy

 Sam Winchester stepped into his favourite Starbucks and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it was mostly empty. He approached the counter and grinned when he saw the familiar sandy-brown head putting on a new pot of drip coffee.

  
"Hey, Gabriel," he said. The shorter man pushed the filter basket into the machine and pressed the button before spinning around.   
  
"Samsquatch!" he exclaimed. "It's been a couple of days. And really, do you have to keep using my full name? I keep telling you to call me Gabe." Sam grinned.   
  
"Yeah, yeah. I was tied up with meetings with my editor the last couple of days," he said. "What, did you miss me?"  
  
"Maybe I did," Gabriel responded with a wink. "Usual today?" Sam nodded and Gabriel turned towards the espresso bar. A minute later Gabriel was sliding the steaming mug across the counter and tapping the order into the register. Sam handed him a folded bill, swallowing hard to attempt to calm himself as his fingers brushed against Gabriel's warm palm. Gabriel slid the bill into the drawer and deftly scooped out the proper coins for change, dropping them lightly into Sam's palm. 

Sam tried not to think much about the fact that Gabriel's fingers on his own palm felt very deliberate. 

"Thanks...Gabe," he said quietly. He picked up the mug and carried it over to an empty table, happy to find one that was near an outlet so he could plug in his laptop. 

He'd been there for a couple of hours, his mug long-empty beside him, when the sunlight streaming through the window was blocked briefly. Sam glanced up and saw Gabriel sitting across from him. 

"How's the authoring going, Samsquatch?" he asked conversationally. 

"Not well, I'm afraid," Sam said. "I'm working on a deadline and I just can't seem to make the story move the way I want it to." He shoved his long hair back from his face and sighed. "Tessa, my editor, is going to kill me." 

"Relax, Sammy. Take a break. You've been working for, like, days or something," Gabriel said. His voice was light but when Sam made eye contact, he could see actual concern floating in Gabriel's eyes. Sam smiled weakly. 

"Wish I could, Gabe," he said. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him and then pushed the lid of his laptop closed. 

"Nope. I'm off for the day and so are you. Don't fight me on this, Sam. You are going to have _fun_ for once." Sam sighed.

"Just let me save once more and then shut down my computer properly." He raised a hand when he saw Gabriel open his mouth to protest. "That's all I'm doing, I swear," he said as he opened his laptop again. He clicked a few buttons before shutting it and sliding it into his bag. Gabriel grinned widely at him. 

“Good boy,” Gabriel said. “Now. C'mon. I want to stop at my place first and change. I smell like coffee and various baked goods.” Sam froze in the middle of leaning down to scoop up his bag. “What?” Gabriel asked. 

“Gabriel...Gabe...I can't come to your _house_ ,” Sam said nervously. Gabriel raised an eyebrow. 

“Why not? We're friends, aren't we? God, Sammich, you'd think I was asking you to move in or something.” Sam blushed brightly. 

“Yeah, we're...I mean, of course we're friends, Gabe,” he said quietly. 

“Well then? What's the problem?” Gabriel replied. “Trust me, if I don't go home and change you're gonna be sick of me in about five minutes flat. And since I'm fairly sure I can annoy you enough on my own, I'd rather not have my smell be what gets you avoiding me. I can think of way more fun reasons to be ditched by you.” Sam's face lightened slightly into a half smile. 

“Alright, now I'm curious. You win. Lead the way.” Gabriel winked at him and started out of the shop, Sam following closely behind him. They walked in silence for about a block before Gabriel finally spoke up. 

“So, Sam,” he started. Sam's head snapped up, unused to Gabriel using his actual name rather than one of the ridiculous nicknames he'd started using over the past month or so. Gabriel smirked. “What's this story you've got on the go that's giving you such a hard time? You've seemed stressed out the last several times you've been in.” Sam sighed and kicked at a rock as he walked. 

“It's the third in a series. The first is already out, and the second is slated for publishing later this year – it's in the final editing stages. I'm supposed to be finishing this one up and getting it sent off for the first edit in the next month or so, but I feel really trapped and I don't know what to do.” 

“Crappy,” Gabriel said. “Good thing I'm dragging you off for the afternoon, then!” he said brightly. “Fun is exactly what you need to help you work through it.” He turned suddenly, pulling a set of keys out of his pocket. “This is my stop, Samsquatch. C'mon, it'll only take me a minute.” Sam followed Gabriel into the building and up the stairs to Gabriel's second-floor apartment. As Gabriel reached out to turn the doorknob, he flinched slightly. 

“Uh...don't mind the mess,” he said, looking uncharacteristically nervous. “I didn't _actually_ plan this, despite how it probably seemed.” Sam grinned. 

“Don't worry about it, Gabriel,” he said. “Trust me, with my brother? I've probably seen worse.” Gabriel smiled. 

“A brother, eh? He a moose too?” Gabriel said, turning the handle and stepping inside with Sam close on his heels. Sam rolled his eyes. 

“Nah. I mean, he's not a little shrimp like you,” Gabriel glared at him, and Sam laughed before continuing. “But he's not a huge guy. Still kinda scary when he wants to be, though.” Gabriel nodded. 

“He a writer, too?” he asked as he headed into an adjoining room. “Keep talking, I can hear ya!” he called as he shut the door partway. Sam laughed. 

“No, definitely not. That'd be like...romantic, or something. Definitely not something for my emotionally-constipated big brother. Nah, he's an engineer. Just started teaching a couple of years ago at the university, actually.” 

Gabriel peered around the edge of the door and Sam shifted his weight slightly when he caught a glimpse of bare shoulder as Gabriel responded. 

“God, he should meet my baby brother Cas sometime, they'd get along great. Cas' pretty crappy with the whole words thing, too. They could sit there and stare at each other or something. Hang on a sec, I'm almost ready.” He disappeared behind the door again and Sam took a deep breath. He was starting to wonder if it wouldn't have been safer to just continue admiring Gabriel from afar, rather than agreeing to stick himself into close confines with him. He hoped Gabriel's plans involved something a little more...open than their current arrangement. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind before Gabriel came bounding out of the room, jeans having replaced his black work pants and a green t-shirt being quickly covered by a black hoodie that Gabriel was still tugging over his head. 

“Right, let's go!” Gabriel said, grabbing a handful of Halloween-sized candy out of a bowl on the table and shoving it into the pocket of his sweatshirt. He pranced past Sam, who watched the shorter man with amusement on his face before turning to follow him out of the apartment. 

They'd walked a couple of blocks in near-silence before Sam spoke. 

“So, uh, Gabriel?” The shorter man looked up at him, his mouth full of skittles. “Where're we going?” Gabriel grinned and swallowed. 

“You'll see! Be patient,” he said. “We're almost there.” They walked in a companionable silence for a few more minutes, the only sounds being the occasional crunch of a chocolate bar as Gabriel steadily worked through the collection in his pocket or a sole car driving past on the quiet residential street they were on. Suddenly, Gabriel turned, strolling through a chain-link gate. Sam stopped in his tracks, staring at their destination. 

“A playground?” he asked incredulously. Gabriel grinned. 

“I told you, Sam. You are going to have _fun_ for once.” 

“Gabriel, we're grown men. People are going to think it's creepy. It probably _is_ creepy,” Sam argued. Gabriel winked at him. 

“First of all, that's half the fun. Second of all, what people?” he asked, sweeping a hand in a wide arc to show off the empty play area. “The playground is your, uh, well, playground, I guess,” he said, shrugging. “Now c'mon. Put your bag down. I'll race you to the swings,” Gabriel said, not waiting for Sam to even move before he took off at top speed towards the rickety-looking swingset. Sam sighed before stepping through the gate and closing it behind him. He pulled off his laptop bag over his head and set it on the grass before following Gabriel towards the swingset. 

It took some time, but eventually Sam let himself relax as he and Gabriel goofed off in the playground. It didn't feel like it had been altogether too long, though, and Sam was surprised when he realised it was getting dark. 

“Gabe, hang on,” he said from his spot on the swing. Gabriel was behind him, pulling the seat of the swing back getting ready to push Sam on it. Instead, Gabriel lowered the swing slowly and, holding on to one of the chains, moved around in front of Sam. 

“What's up, Samsquatch?” Gabriel asked. Sam tried not to think about the way Gabe's eyes were glinting in the sunset, or the way his cheeks were slightly flushed from the chill in the air. He swallowed hard before replying. 

“It's getting dark. I've got some, uh, stuff to do. I should probably head home.” Gabriel's face fell. 

“You sure?” he asked, raising his other hand to the chain, his arms now framing Sam's face as he pushed the swing back slightly. Sam let his feet drag along the ground as Gabriel pushed him back. 

“Yeah. I've got some stuff to get organised and a couple of phone calls to make,” Sam said, surprising even himself with the regret in his voice. His heart felt like it was going to pound through his chest as he realised how close Gabriel was. It would only take a slight movement, a slight press forward, and he could be kissing him. 

He wouldn't, though. He knew he wouldn't, and a moment later his opportunity was gone as Gabriel released the chains and stepped to the side. Sam thought he saw a flash of disappointment on Gabriel's face as the shorter man turned away. 

“You gonna come by the shop tomorrow?” Gabriel asked, his voice light. 

“Yeah,” Sam said. “No meetings. I'll be there.” His voice was far less relaxed than Gabriel's. 

“See ya then, Samsquatch,” Gabriel said quickly before he dashed off. Sam sat on the swing and watched him disappear, his fists tightening around the chain link suspensions.

*****

“Wait, hold on. You were on a _date_ with the Starbucks guy?” 

Sam shook his head furiously. “No, Dean! It wasn't like that. It wasn't a date. We were just...hanging out. He's a friend.” His voice trailed off when he realised how empty that sounded. 

“Uh huh. Two grown men. Hanging out. At a playground.” Sam's older brother rolled his eyes. “Don't get me wrong, Sammy. I think it's great. I mean, after the way Ruby tore your damn heart out and stomped on it, I was afraid you'd never get laid again. To be honest with ya, your temper courtesy of your intense repressed sexual tension was starting to drive me up the wall.” Sam shot Dean his best bitchface. 

“I'm not dating him. Jerk.” He turned to leave the room and go back into his bedroom to get back to work on his book. 

“Maybe not yet, bitch. But you wish you were. I know you, Sammy. It's not going to be long,” Dean called after him. Sam wanted to protest that he didn't even know if Gabriel was into guys, into him, into anything at all, but he knew it would never fly with Dean. 

He also knew he'd be lying. He stepped into his bedroom and closed the door with a loud click. 

*****

When Sam got up the next morning, Dean was already gone to the university. He breathed a sigh of relief as he moved slowly through the apartment they shared, thankful for the fact that he set his own schedule and Dean had an early class to teach. He finished getting ready and slung his laptop bag over his shoulder, grabbing his keys as he headed out of the apartment to start the short walk to Starbucks. 

As he entered the shop, his eyes automatically scanned it, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he found it empty save for Gabriel behind the counter and another barista. She was a sweet-looking blonde girl he didn't know that well named Jo, who was working the drive-through window. 

“Sammich!” Gabriel said brightly. Sam couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. “You're looking more relaxed today, kiddo.” 

“Guess I am,” Sam replied. “Actually got a decent night's sleep for once last night,” he said. Gabriel's usually-cocky smile softened into something like actual pleasure at Sam's words. 

“I'm glad,” he said, his voice dropping slightly. “So. Usual for you this morning?” he asked, his voice back to it's bright tone as Sam stepped towards the counter. Sam nodded. 

“Please,” he said. They went through their usual routine, Gabriel stepping to the side to make his drink while Sam pulled out the money; the exchange of steaming mug and crisp bills, the brush of Gabriel's fingers, still warm from Sam's mug, against Sam's palm as he handed him his change. Sam bit his lip slightly as he picked up the mug from the counter. 

“Thanks, Gabe,” he said. 

“Good luck with the authoring, kiddo,” Gabriel replied. 

A few hours later, feeling much more content with his progress than he had the day before, Sam started packing up his laptop. He glanced up as he shut the lid and saw Gabriel wiping down a counter on the far side of the coffee bar, his back to Sam. Sam smiled as he watched Gabriel bounce slightly in time with the music coming through the shop's speakers before looking down again to slide his laptop into his bag. He stood up and started towards the door, but before he'd taken three steps there was a tap on his shoulder. He spun around quickly, almost knocking Gabriel off balance. Sam reached out to grab Gabriel's shoulders and stabilise him. 

“Crap, uh, sorry, Gabriel,” he said quickly. Gabriel held up a hand. 

“Nope, don't worry about it, sorry for startling you. I just wasn't about to let you sneak out of here without a word, kiddo. That's not very friendly, ya know.” Sam smiled. 

“Sorry. You seemed busy, I didn't want to interrupt.” 

“Never too busy, Sam.” Gabriel's voice was uncharacteristically serious as his eyes met Sam's, flashing with something Sam couldn't identify. Before he had fully registered what was happening, Gabriel had placed a hand on each of Sam's cheeks and pulled his head down, kissing him soundly. 

And since Sam already had his hands on Gabriel's shoulders, it seemed only natural to squeeze them a little bit tighter and kiss him back, leaning down slightly on his own to make it easier on Gabriel. 

“About freakin' time!” Sam heard the cheerful female voice shout from the drive-through window. Gabriel moved one hand from Sam's face to flip off Jo, and the two pulled apart, laughing. They looked at each other for a long moment before Gabriel spoke. 

“You gotta do something about that hair, Samsquatch,” he said, smirking. “Tie it back or something. It tickles.” Sam laughed before bending down to kiss Gabriel again. 

 

 


End file.
